Fees and Rebates
Fees (See also Telehealth Fees)
Before allowing for any rebates from either Medicare or Health Funds, the cost of a 55 minute consultation is $245. Full payment is required at the appointment and may be paid by cash, cheque, credit card or EFTPOS. If you are referred with a “GP Mental Health Care Plan” (GPMHCP) or by your Psychiatrist, your out of pocket expenses for 55 minute consultations will be $103.15 (see under Medicare below for further explanation).
Unfortunately, Medicare regulations do not allow us to take the gap fee as payment for the session. Once you have paid for the session, your medicare rebate will reimbursed back into your bank account. (If you have a Savings/Cheque card, you are able to insert it into our Tyro machine and receive your rebate almost immediately into the account linked to your card. If you only have a a credit card, then the rebate will go through to the account you have registered with Medicare and that usually takes 12 to 24 hours).
I do not bulk bill. However, on setting my fee structure, I have tried to strike a balance between meeting my costs and not making the cost of therapy prohibitive. This is why my fees are well below those recommended by the Australian Psychological Society (APS). For example APS recommended fee for a 50 minute session is $300.
Rebates
Private Health Cover
If you have full private health cover for services from a Psychologist, you will receive a rebate from your health fund. As health funds vary in the amount of cover they offer, please check your cover and the rebate offered with your health fund. No referral is required for rebates from health funds. Please note that couple therapy is not covered by Medicare, but you may be able to claim a rebate under your private health fund.
Medicare
As of 2006, the government has introduced a Medicare rebate for specific psychological strategies, and only for certain diagnoses (e.g. Depression; anxiety disorders and a range of other conditions). Eligibility for this rebate is decided by your referring doctor and requires either a referral with a “GP Mental Health Care Plan” (GPMHCP) from your GP requesting focused psychological strategies, or a referral from a Psychiatrist. This referral provides for a rebate for an initial 6 sessions with the option of a further 4 sessions after review by your doctor. Only 10 sessions per year are available under a GPMHCP.
I am a registered psychologist and have completed additional training and supervision to gain endorsement by the Psychology Board of Australia to practice in the area of Clinical Psychology. This enables me to offer a Medicare rebate of $141.85 to eligible clients.
Medicare Conditions I treat
Of the Mental disorders listed as qualifying for the Medicare rebate, in my practice I have a special interest and expertise in the following conditions:
Before allowing for any rebates from either Medicare or Health Funds, the cost of a 55 minute consultation is $245. Full payment is required at the appointment and may be paid by cash, cheque, credit card or EFTPOS. If you are referred with a “GP Mental Health Care Plan” (GPMHCP) or by your Psychiatrist, your out of pocket expenses for 55 minute consultations will be $103.15 (see under Medicare below for further explanation).
Unfortunately, Medicare regulations do not allow us to take the gap fee as payment for the session. Once you have paid for the session, your medicare rebate will reimbursed back into your bank account. (If you have a Savings/Cheque card, you are able to insert it into our Tyro machine and receive your rebate almost immediately into the account linked to your card. If you only have a a credit card, then the rebate will go through to the account you have registered with Medicare and that usually takes 12 to 24 hours).
I do not bulk bill. However, on setting my fee structure, I have tried to strike a balance between meeting my costs and not making the cost of therapy prohibitive. This is why my fees are well below those recommended by the Australian Psychological Society (APS). For example APS recommended fee for a 50 minute session is $300.
Rebates
Private Health Cover
If you have full private health cover for services from a Psychologist, you will receive a rebate from your health fund. As health funds vary in the amount of cover they offer, please check your cover and the rebate offered with your health fund. No referral is required for rebates from health funds. Please note that couple therapy is not covered by Medicare, but you may be able to claim a rebate under your private health fund.
Medicare
As of 2006, the government has introduced a Medicare rebate for specific psychological strategies, and only for certain diagnoses (e.g. Depression; anxiety disorders and a range of other conditions). Eligibility for this rebate is decided by your referring doctor and requires either a referral with a “GP Mental Health Care Plan” (GPMHCP) from your GP requesting focused psychological strategies, or a referral from a Psychiatrist. This referral provides for a rebate for an initial 6 sessions with the option of a further 4 sessions after review by your doctor. Only 10 sessions per year are available under a GPMHCP.
I am a registered psychologist and have completed additional training and supervision to gain endorsement by the Psychology Board of Australia to practice in the area of Clinical Psychology. This enables me to offer a Medicare rebate of $141.85 to eligible clients.
Medicare Conditions I treat
Of the Mental disorders listed as qualifying for the Medicare rebate, in my practice I have a special interest and expertise in the following conditions:
- Depression
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
- Panic disorder
- Generalised anxiety disorder
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Adjustment disorder
- Phobic disorder
- Bereavement disorder
- Co-morbid anxiety and depression